(n.) An organized set of physical activities for competitive match play conducted for sport. There are many kinds of sports. Some of the most popular sports are basketball, American football, badminton, tennis, cricket, hockey, and track and field. Most sports are played in different kinds of venues, such as the gym, the court, the street, and even in the ice cold winter park. The most popular sports are baseball, which is played by over 220 million people throughout the world. Basketball and softball are also very popular, along with golf, Australian rules football, cricket, rugby, hockey, swimming, and track and field.
One thing that all sports have in common, is the spirit of sportsmanship. When sportsmanship is part of the game, it creates a positive vibe that will help the players, spectators, coaches, and owners have a great time. For example, if the player on offense tries to spike the opponent’s goal post, while the defender tries to block his shot, both are showing sportsmanship!
There are different styles of sportsmanship. It can be shown when an offensive player is trying to run the clock out of the defense and he converts every single point made by him into a basket. It can be shown when players are taking turns being the whistle-man and blowing the whistle, when the game is not playing fast enough, to stop the game. Or when the team is not paying attention to any particular play and it results in a foul being committed.
The object of sportsmanship is to maintain or encourage a friendly and honest contest among competitors. Sometimes, it may involve personal injuries, but usually only in the case of extreme physical attacks like hitting a player with an object (such as a soccer ball) or a physical assault (Example: Two boxers walk down the hall and engage in a slugging match. One boxer hits the other with his fist). In the professional arena, it is not uncommon for two competitors to get into a head-to-head competition after a foul call was missed or an obvious call was wrong. And in the small league or Little League, it’s not uncommon for parents or teachers to step in to help their children understand sportsmanship.
Sportsmanship in sports is also seen when players lift their heads or show victory poses during the game. In other words, sportsmanship is about winning, but in a good way. This is why children who are encouraged to take part in sports are the most likely to succeed. They are given a chance to succeed in challenging fields such as science, math, computer science, foreign languages, or even physical science.
Some people might say sportsmanship is cruel. But when you look at the bigger picture, it makes more sense. If the game we are discussing here is called football, basketball, baseball, or volleyball, then the players wouldn’t call it sportsmanship if they didn’t mean it. If the field where the game takes place is a hiking trail, then the participants probably aren’t trying to be nicer to each other; they are just trying to survive a long hike.